BREAK AWAY FROM PROCRASTINATION: My 10 steps to help you break away from procrastination

Johnson dropped his head into his hands. He rubbed his eyes and stared at skies in disbelief. It had happen. He had just missed the job that would have changed his life and help his family.
Johnson started procrastination since he was a child. At home, he was never doing his house duties in time. He would rather prefer to watch television, and play with friends then do his works later. At school he was often late and was never doing his assignments in time. As soon as he was back from school, he will drop his back and go chatting with friends till late in the evening. When he grew up, he continued with his procrastinating habits; he would never respect time for appointment until that crucial day that he missed a job opportunity because he came late to the interview. It is then that Johnson understood that procrastination he always considered to be a normal habit, was indeed a very destructive flaw.

Procrastination is simply the act of keeping until tomorrow or later, what is supposed to be done today. At least Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle, though a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their lives. They don’t pay bills on time. They don’t do assignments on time; they always find a way to delay what they have to do, “They leave even their Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve.” Although as a culture people don’t take procrastination seriously as a problem, it represents a profound problem of self-control. There may be more of procrastination with some people than with others.

REASONS WHY PEOPLE PROCRASTINATE

The reasons for procrastination are as varied as the people who practice it: The task is boring or repetitive, you are afraid you won’t be able to handle it; the project is difficult or time-consuming; it is going to be an unpleasant experience; you dread the possible consequences of seeing the task through to completion. Procrastination is the easiest thing in the world to perfect- and one of the hardest habits to break.

WAITING IS NOT PROCRASTINATING

It is true that procrastination is a dangerous opportunities assassin. It is also true that success and procrastination cannot dwell together in the same house if you truly want to be successful. Still, in some cases, putting things off can actually make you more productive if you do it right. Off cause, we have to cure, defeat, and eliminate the horrible habit of procrastination but in some cases it is better we delay than destroy with hurry. The following reasons can permit procrastination: True tiredness, to make better decisions, to put creativity into a task, to do a more important task, in order to make better apologies, It may also be God’s signal that the task will not serve you.

BREAKING AWAY FROM PROCRASTINATION

May be as you are reading you have been procrastinating over some important issues, join me now to break it straight away, take these commands:
1-Just do it. Whatever the task you’re facing, simply pick a point and get started. Often things are not as bad as they seem, and once you start doing something it’s easier to build up momentum that will carry you through to the end. Tell yourself that when you finish the unpleasant task, you won’t have it hanging over your head and you can move on to better things.
2-Break it up, Take a few minutes to break up larger tasks into small, manageable goals. For example, if you are attempting to organize your desk at work, you might pick one drawer and get that done, and then take a break and do something else before returning to the next drawer. Meeting a series of small goals is more motivating and encouraging than trying to tackle a huge project all at once.
3-Cut through the fluff, prepare yourself to work through distractions when you’re taking on a task. If possible, ignore the phone. Make sure your mind is made up to do whatever it is you’re doing and nothing else until it’s finished. You will feel better knowing it’s done, and you’ll waste less time on sideline projects.
4-Stick to the program, Ensure you have enough time to finish the task you’re starting. If you know you’re going to be interrupted or run out of time before you’re through, choose one part of the task to complete instead of trying to rush through the whole thing. Rushing to meet a deadline you know you can’t make causes more stress, and can actually make things happen slowly because you’re worried that you won’t be able to accomplish what you’ve set out to do. Give yourself a break, and your stress level will reduce.
5-Expect the unexpected. Despite our best positive thinking efforts, things do occasionally take turns we did not expect. Delays are in many situations the most unexpected happenings. When you’re planning a task or goal, it is important to expect in case things go wrong. Delays are a major facilitator of procrastination: it’s easy to convince yourself to put things off when you already have to wait. Make sure you have a backup plan in place so you can avoid putting things off and still meet your completion goals comfortably.
6-Set your wake–up time a half hour earlier tomorrow. Use this time to plan how you will spend your day. Planning is a good way to make good use of time and avoid procrastination.
7-Limit your television viewing to mostly enlightening and educative shows, make it a habit to watch television only when you want rest from your work.
8-Make a list of five necessary but unpleasant projects you have been putting off. Put a completion date after each project. Immediate action on unpleasant projects reduces distress and tension.
9-Seek out and talk to someone you trust to monitor you and help you avoid procrastination.
10-Check and repeat these steps each time you feel yourself overwhelmed with procrastination. God bless you

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